State extends deadline for university funding applications to August 15

The government has announced a 10-day extension for applications for government funding, shifting the deadline from August 5 to August 15, 2024.

The funding is intended for students who completed the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and are entering universities for the 2024/2025 academic year, which is set to start in September.

Higher Education and Research Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala said parents and guardians will be informed of the university fees/household contribution towards the cost of university programmes starting August 19, 2024.

"Under the New Funding Model, government funding will be allocated based on individual student needs," she said.

Placements

According to Inyangala, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has placed 153,275 students from the 2023 KCSE cohort in both public and private universities.

She emphasised that only those who apply for funding will be eligible for government support.

The Ministry of Education initially opened the application portal for scholarships and loans on June 18, 2024.

As of August 4, 2024, 79,038 students had applied, leaving 74,237 students yet to submit their applications. Inyangala urged those who have not yet applied to do so.

She emphasised that the government remains committed to providing quality and affordable education to students in Universities as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions (TVETs).

"Under the Leave No One Behind framework, we urge all students who have not yet applied for loans and scholarships to do so by visiting www.hef.co.ke," she said.

On May 31, 2023, President Ruto unveiled the Higher Education Funding Model, which began its implementation in September 2023 for all first-year university students.

The initiative aims to address the financial challenges faced by universities, which were grappling with debts exceeding Sh60 billion.

The model provides financial assistance through loans, bursaries, or a combination of both. Students are categorised into five bands based on their families' financial needs, determined using the Means Testing Instrument (MTI), a scientific tool designed to assess the level of financial support required.

Support under this model comes from the Universities Fund (UF) for scholarships and the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) for student loans.

While the bursary component does not require repayment, the loans for tuition and maintenance must be repaid after graduation, with an annual interest rate of four per cent.